Evaluation of the “What's Green About Biodiesel?” middle school curricular unit

CHED 135

April N. French, frencha@nsula.edu, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Northwestern State University, 118 Fournet Hall, Natchitoches, LA 71457, Joseph A. Heppert, jheppert@ku.edu, Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, 1251 Wescoe Drive, Lawrence, KS 66045-7582, and Claudia Bode, bode@ku.edu, Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, University of Kansas, 1501 Wakarusa Drive, Suite A-110, Lawrence, KS 66047.
During the summer of 2006, two middle school science teachers participating in the Research Experiences for Teacher's (RET) Program developed the inquiry-based unit “What's ‘Green' About Biodiesel?” to use in their classroom to explore the synthesis of biodiesel. During its initial implementation, the unit was evaluated using pre- and post-quizzes to measure student's content knowledge gains and Bauer's Chemistry Self-Concept Inventory to assess student' attitudes toward chemistry. Knowledge gains are analyzed for the effects of demographic variables, such as gender and socio-economic background.
 

General Posters
7:30 PM-9:30 PM, Sunday, March 25, 2007 Hyatt Regency Chicago -- Riverside Center, Poster

Sci-Mix
8:00 PM-10:00 PM, Monday, March 26, 2007 Hyatt Regency Chicago -- Riverside Center, Sci-Mix

Division of Chemical Education

The 233rd ACS National Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 25-29, 2007